March 26-30

Last summer Jessica and Kris received an invitation from their friend Meg for her wedding which was scheduled to take place at the end of April in a small-town Portugal, about two hours east of Lisbon.  It was soon decided that we, along with Kim and Marty, would join them and that we would all fly into Porto to start the trip. 

Kim and Marty originally had booked their flight to come in the day after ours, but fortune was smiling on us as a month or so before departure they were informed that the originating flight had been changed to an unacceptable time and they were able to switch up flights and get one that would put them into Amsterdam, our connecting city, around the same time as us and so the four of us could fly together to Porto. 

We had one of those amazing coincidental occurrences at the airport at home when we ran into our friend Steve who was also traveling to Amsterdam.  We chatted with him until it was time to board and then would catch up with him briefly after landing.  Kim and Marty soon joined us, and we cleared passport control there which made our landing in Porto less of a hassle.  I’d arranged for a pickup, at the very reasonable rate of 26 Euros for the four of us and we soon found ourselves at Aida’s Haven – Santa Catarina Airbnb for the next four nights. 

In an older building within walking distance of many major sights, we were greeted by the proprietor who provided us with a lengthy introduction to the city and the many places we could visit.  We would come to discover that an older building has some drawbacks, including a lack of available electrical outlets, one bathroom with a toilet impossible to sit on due to its placement and a floor in another that threatened to give way beneath us. 

Joanna and Marty walked to a nearby market to get provisions and not long after Jessica, Kris and Gemma arrived and after a long day of travel for all of us, it was decided that some of us would stay in and eat from the groceries we’d purchased earlier while others would walk a short distance to Wilson’s for a bite to eat.   

Jessica took charge of our first day of sightseeing and we were all glad to follow her lead as it would be conscious of Gemma’s needs and limitations and also play to what she and Kris most wanted to see given their much shorter vacation time in country.  Our first stop was a not long walk from the apartment to Mercado de Bolhao, Porto’s original and most well-known open market.  Joanna and I visited here in 2014 and recalled a somewhat scruffier place than what appeared before us that day. 

It turns out it was remodeled in the years since our visit and now contains a fresh produce market, with a total of 79 stalls located on the ground floor,10 restaurants, located on the top floor and 38 shops facing outside.  We spent about an hour there, Joanna and I both getting our obligatory coffee con leches, and then had a taste of some port for a couple of euros, while others had some food and we then all regrouped and headed off to our next destination, Livraria Lello. 

Beginning in July 2015, the bookstore began requesting entrance fees for visitors, in order to control the crowds that visit and also to help finance the ongoing restoration of the building’s gorgeous exterior and interior.  After purchasing our tickets to enter we had about thirty minutes to kill and so we sat at a café across the plaza and enjoyed a round of cold drinks, a beer for me and gin and tonics for the rest. 

Soon enough our time was up, and we entered this fascinating enterprise.  Founded in 1881, it is one of the oldest bookstores in Portugal and frequently rated among the top bookstores in the world (placing third in lists by guidebook publisher Lonely Planet and The Guardian).  Rumor has it that J.K. Rowling’s inspiration to write Harry Potter began in Porto, particularly at this library.  The well-known writer lived in Porto working while as an English teacher in the early 1990s and she used to drink a cup of coffee at the second floor of Lello’s bookstore (too crowded to do so now).

There are indeed great similarities between Lello’s bookstore staircase, and the one described in Hogwarts.  It is also believed that the Hogwarts’ costume was inspired by the costumes of college students in Portugal, composed of a black suit and a black coat – these students are very likely to be found around this area, as the headquarters of the Porto University are located nearby.

Finished at the bookstore we wound our way downhill to the river (in Porto, you are either going up or going down) and after a good day of walking, some of us used an Uber to get back to the apartment.  Uber here is reminiscent of its first days in California and much like we found it last year in New Zealand and Australia, abundant, timely and cheap.  We relaxed until dinner time when we decided to walk across the street to Hotel Fontinha to eat in their pizzeria. 

This meal would be a highlight of the trip, perhaps because it was our first one together and we wouldn’t share many more, but mostly because the service, food and drinks were the best.  We started with a round of interesting and delicious cocktails, including a Porto Sour (Port wine, Lemon, and Egg White), a Limoncello Gin Collins (Limoncello, Gin, Sugar, Lemon, and Soda) and a pitcher of Sangria de Limoncello (Lemon Liqueur, Sparkling Wine, Gin, Green Apple, and Mint). 

Along with a starter of antipasti and Focaccia, we ordered three pizzas’, a Quattro Formaggi (Tomato Sauce, “Fior di Latte”, Fontina, Gorgonzola and Grana Padan), Capricciosa (Ham, Mushrooms, Artichoke, Olives and Basil) and Mortazza (Tomato Sauce, “Fior di Latte”, Parma Ham, Rocket Salad and Buffalo Mozzarella).  All of the pizzas were delicious and although we did substantial damage to each, there was enough left over to return to the apartment with for enjoyment later. 

It was a fine way to start our time together and best of all the total tab came to just 119 Euros, a bit more than what Joanna and I would spend in Los Angeles for a modest dinner out that would include some consumption of alcohol.  So, welcome to Portugal.

Links

Aida’s Haven: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13360271?source_impression_id=p3_1746040397_P3qblc1KVNTniH-A

Mercado de Bolhao: https://mercadobolhao.pt/

Livraria Lello: https://www.livrarialello.pt/

Hotel Fontinha: https://www.fontinhahotel.com/fontinha-pizzeria